11 Jan 2016

Days of Wine and Corpses: "Arsenic & Old Lace," at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre through January 17

By Brent Tubbs

Susan Perrin-Sallak, Gregory Braid, and Patti Flaherty in Arsenic & Old LaceI won’t lie: I left the Playcrafters Barn Theatre’s January 5 preview performance of Arsenic & Old Lace a little creeped out. This show could be titled The Original American Horror Story, although a version with a light seasoning of laughter, and director Donna Weeks did an especially nice job of casting the show's eccentric characters that brought us into its world of homicide and pleasantries.

23 Dec 2015

Center-Stage Craft: Spotlight Turns with the Reader's Theatre Reviewers

By Jeff Ashcraft, Dee Canfield, Victoria Navarro, Mike Schulz, Brent Tubbs, and Thom White


The ends of calendar years always bring with them a certain amount of reflection, and questions that we find ourselves quietly grappling with. "Did I achieve personal fulfillment and happiness?" "Were there people I improperly appreciated or unintentionally wronged?" "What are we going to do about the Reader's annual year-in-theatre article now that Thom White has moved to Kentucky?!"

03 Dec 2015

Recess Monkeys: "Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells," at St. Ambrose University December 5 and 6

By Dee Canfield

Arriving for the 10 a.m. production of St. Ambrose University's Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells on December 3, what first caught my eye were the big yellow school buses parked outside, and I realized, "Ah, yes, I'm going back to elementary school today." (This was a scheduled school performance not open to the general public.) Inside the Galvin Fine Arts Center, I was transported into a first-grade "classroom" that consisted of Junie B. Jones and her friends on stage and the elementary students who filled the large auditorium to capacity. The juxtaposition of the joyous, high energy in this "classroom" and my feelings roused from recent world and national tragedies made me think about the world we have made for these children, wherein their innocence will be lost all too soon, and the more that laughter rang in the room, the more poignant my feelings became.

03 Dec 2015

Try Not to Have Fun. I Triple-Dog-Dare You.: "A Christmas Story: The Musical," at the Prospect Park Auditorium through December 6

By Brent Tubbs

As I got comfortable in my seat for the Monday-night dress rehearsal of Quad City Music Guild's A Christmas Story: The Musical, I was fully expecting a 24-hour marathon, as well as my ingesting the show only in sporadic moments throughout the day in between kitchen visits to fill up on ham and chocolate. That's customarily how I enjoy the film version. Alas, there was no marathon, or ham, or chocolate. But there was a fun production filled with holiday cheer - and aside from the addition of songs, the theatrical version is a mirror image of the movie.

30 Nov 2015

A Twist of a Reindeer Tail (/Tale): "The Most Famous Reindeer of All," at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through December 27

By Victoria Navarro

My husband and I have been taking our granddaughter Ava to stage presentations since she was three. She is now eight and has her own opinions about what makes good theatre, and one of her complaints about some productions is that they require adult actors to play children. As Ava insists, "It just isn't believable." I agree. It often seems forced.

17 Nov 2015

By George, I Think They've Got It: "A Wonderful Life," at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse through December 27

By Dee Canfield

Don Denton and Sara Tubbs in A Wonderful LifeI must confess: When I first saw the Jimmy Stewart film It's a Wonderful Life on TV in the early 1980s, I was not a fan. Was I, I wondered, the only person on the planet who thought the story overly sentimental and a bit of a melodramatic mess? As I was to learn, I was not, for when the film was first released in 1946, some considered it a disappointing addition to director Frank Capra's oeuvre. Although I have begrudgingly come to accept the movie on its own terms over the years, it was with a bit of trepidation that I went to see the November 12 preview of the musical production A Wonderful Life at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse. Would this, my first published review, be my "outing" as a Scrooge?

17 Nov 2015

Holmes for the Holidays: "The Game's Afoot," at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre through November 22

By Heather Herkelman

L-R Bryan Lopez, Molly McLaughlin, Drew Pastorek, Teri Nelson, Tom Naab, and Stephanie Naab in The Game's Afoot"Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of a man can invent." This Sherlock Holmes quote is a perfect description for the mystery play at the Playcrafters Barn Theatre - at least in terms of the lives of those on-stage. Just when you think things cannot get any crazier and the coincidences cannot get more coincidental, Ken Ludwig's script shows you otherwise. The Game's Afoot is a comedy with a mix of nutty characters and a whodunit theme, and while it was clear that the cast was still getting comfortable with each other and the script during Thursday's dress rehearsal, there were improvements in energy and confidence by the second act.

17 Nov 2015

Celebrating Like the Dickens: "Big Rock Candy Christmas," at the District Theatre through November 22

By Jeff Ashcraft

Linda Ruebling, Brant Peitersen, Tom Vaccaro, Anthony Natarelli, Mike Kelly, Mark Ruebling, Chris Tracy, Rocky Kampling, Aaron Lord, and Kyle Jecklin in Big Rock Candy ChristmasAt a time when current events make the world seem very dark and sick, the holidays remind us to reminisce with old friends, break out the carols, and bake a batch of Grandma's legendary cookies. One recipe to such a cruel world can be found in the District Theatre's current production Big Rock Candy Christmas. A sequel to last year's Big Rock Candy Mountain, this Christmas-flavored chapter brings back the same characters from the original with a new mission, new music, and even a few new faces.

09 Nov 2015

And Loco Was Its Name-oh: "Bingo," at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre through November 15

By Brent Tubbs

Jackie Skiles, Greg Bouljon, and Rebecca McCorkle in BingoThe Richmond Hill Barn Theatre's performance of Bingo at times feels like playing bingo - hoping for a letter and number combination that you don't quite get, but finding yourself pleasantly surprised when you make a full card by the end.

09 Nov 2015

The Invitation Game: "The Dinner Party," at Scott Community College through November 14

By Victoria Navarro

Shannon O'Brien, Karina Monrreal, and Hannah Murray in The Dinner PartyWhen attending a student production, I'm excited for the young performers, and hope the evening ends with the audience standing and cheering. Such were my hopes on the opening night of Neil Simon's The Dinner Party for the Scott Community College actors , who gave it their best shot with some standout performances. But to have a great production, it helps to have great writing and a great story to tell.

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